Your Star
by kittykatloren
Summary: If only stars were tiny, sparkly animals, and then she could touch them and hold them through her wild magic. The beauty was magnificent, splendid; it was unparalleled by anything Daine had ever seen in Snowsdale. Daine/Numair twoshot. Rating for safety.
1. I

**A/N:** Finally, something from Daine's POV! This is a two-part story, so I will update another chapter later. I wrote it as a single oneshot, but since it was pushing 3,500 words, I decided to split it. This means that the chapters are a bit short. But hopefully you will all still enjoy this. NOTE: The first scene takes place when Daine is 13 and Numair is 28, so basically - Wild Magic. The next is a year later, and the next a year after that, etc. Each scene is one year apart. You'll be able to tell by the setting; I keep it canon. The very last scene I picture as also year apart, but it can be directly following the one before it, it doesn't really matter.

Anyway, thanks for reading, and PLEASE leave a review, I love them so much! The next chapter is written, so it will be up soon.

**Disclaimer:** Everything you recognize belongs to Tamora Pierce, not me.

* * *

The night was quiet and calm; it was cool for so deep into the summer. The soft breeze swishing through the grass sounded like a conspiratorial group of maids whispering in the hallway, or a choir singing far off in the distance. Daine opened her ears to the noises of the night; crickets and fireflies sang to her. An owl called out in its mournful tune, like the chiming of nature's clock, marking the hour as the property of the night-wakers. All the other animals were sleeping. With her well of copper fire, Daine could feel them, safe and warm in their tiny burrows or nests. When a chill swept over her, she remembered them, and was warmed by the fur of many tiny bodies surrounding her wherever she placed her mind. But more than the sounds of the night, Daine dreamed herself into the _sights_.There was not much to see unless she gave herself the eyes of a cat or a hawk. Even then, she was limited. But what she could see on her own was plenty intruiging enough. Daine threw her mind into the distant, shimmering stars, wishing that she could fly closer, closer, and closer to them. If only they were tiny, sparkly animals, and then she could touch them and hold them through her wild magic. The beauty was magnificent, splendid; it was unparalleled by anything Daine had ever seen in little Snowsdale. She was so captivated that she didn't even notice when a man walked up behind her. His graceful movements were masked by the whisperers. Daine jumped when a hand touched her lightly on the shoulder. "It's only me," came a soft, familiar voice. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

It was her new teacher. The black-robe mage, Numair, who acted as sweet and charming as a teenager sometimes. He had a long nose and thick black hair pulled back in a ponytail, though much of it still fell loosely beside his face. He was tall and lanky, but moved as if he were always at complete ease, never stressed, never worried. Daine looked up at him, his handsome face illuminated by her bright stars. "I wasn't scared," she said firmly. "Just a little surprised, is all."

Numair only shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."

"Me either."

"Neither," corrected Numair. A silence fell between them. The only sounds remaining were the soft ones of the night. Daine stared skyward again, losing herself in the sea of glittering spots. She was grateful that the moon was only a slender, elegant crescent, its light diffuse enough to allow the stars to command the evening.

"Numair, what are they?" she asked plaintively. "Stars, I mean. What are they, way up there and so far away?"

"No one really knows," said Numair. He, too, looked up at the wide sky. "There are theories. Gods, gods' jewelry, gods' tears. Some believe they have nothing to do with gods at all, rather, that they are like tiny, never-ending fires sustained by the great, endless fabric that is the sky."

"What happens to them when the sun comes up?"

"The sun, some say, is nothing more than a very large star. It is often called Mithros's star, after all. It is so bright that is overpowers the shines of the rest and lightens the whole world."

"Oh." For a long time, the two of them stood there, taking in the beauty of the mystery. _If they are gods, they are beautiful gods,_ thought Daine. _And if they're fires, they're beautiful fires, too._ Lost in her mind, which was somewhere high above her, Daine almost didn't hear Numair's next comment.

"You seem enthralled by them," he said conversationally. At Daine's furrowed brow, he added, "Fascinated, I mean." His hand was warm and steady on her shoulder.

"We didn't ever get to see them so much back in Snowsdale. It was cloudy all the time." Daine dropped her eyes to the dull, un-shimmering grass at her toes. If it had been light outside, she would have been ashamed of the uncomfortable flush on her cheeks. "When I was little, I used to think that if I stretched enough, I'd reach the stars, somehow, and I'd be able to pull one down. I tried to do that a fair few times before I grew up."

To her relief, Numair didn't laugh, but rather smiled kindly at her. "You wanted to own a star?"

Daine nodded fervently. "I always wanted to just hold one. I'd put it back later. But – just for a little bit, owning a star."

"Magelet, I promise that someday, I will find you a star," said Numair cheerily. "Someday, I will give you a star to hold for just a little bit. Or perhaps, you can keep it as long as you like."

Glancing up at him, Daine shook her head out of instinct. "But, Numair, they're _stars_. They're too far away."

"I will find you one. You must hold me to that promise, Daine."

They stood outside together for a while longer. Eventually, Daine's eyelids began to droop. When she let them fall, she still saw tiny, dancing lights, just like the stars. She felt Numair's hand leave her shoulder. Suddenly feeling very alone, Daine reached down and found his hand again, gripping it tightly in hers. It felt strange, to be holding someone's hand again. Someone who cared about her. She realized that they were walking; Daine couldn't see where they were going, but rather she felt the way with her feet and her trust in her teacher. Numair led her to her room under the Riders' cabin. He squeezed her hand and whispered goodnight. "Sleep well, Daine," he said. "Someday, I will have that star for you."

Daine nodded sleepily. Once in her makeshift bed, she asked all the mice and foxes if they were busy. All the ones that were free came to her and pressed their warm, furry bodies against her soft, pink one, keeping her more comfortable that she had ever been as she drifted off to sleep at last.

* * *

In the depths of Dunlath's forest, Daine searched and searched until she found a clearing in the trees where she could stare up at the sky. The hawks and squirrels helped her find the perfect place. Since Numair was following her, they didn't want to stay long, but she coaxed them and pleaded with them, swearing that Numair was a very kind two-legger. Finally they agreed to say hello, and Daine laughed at the awed expression on Numair's face as three hawks, nine mice, and eleven squirrels gathered around him and poked or pecked at his hair and clothes.

"We should set up camp here," Daine decided, dropping her bag.

"Yes, indeed," said Numair. He was still staring into the striking amber eyes of a female hawk, who told Daine that her name was Sharpwing. Numair lifted a finger and gently stroked her head. Sharpwing cooed at him and fluttered her long, powerful wings.

"She said that you're nice, for a two-legger," Daine explained. "Her name's Sharpwing."

"Well, I am honored, then, Lady Sharpwing."

Eventually, all the animals had to return to their various nests and burrows. Daine said goodbye to each one before helping Numair set up camp. By the time they had finished, night had fallen like a thick woolen blanket over the trees. Their two sleeping rolls looked like little patches of moss by the firepit. Numair had used his magic to light softly glowing coals so that they would be warm all night long - he'd had to start a huge fire first and then suffocate it with another magic shield; he said that if he had tried to directly warm up the coals, they would have merely exploded. But before either of them fell asleep, Daine tugged on Numair's arm and pointed to the sky, where the tiny, stunning sparkles were finally starting to appear over the blanket.

"They're beautiful out here," said Numair kindly. "Is that why you picked this spot?"

"Just making sure you don't forget your promise," said Daine, smiling.

* * *

It wasn't supposed to rain in a desert. It was supposed to be dry and clear, all the time. It could get cold, at night only, but would have sworn that it was _never_ supposed to be cloudy. Clouds threatened rain. Carthak didn't get much rain, Daine knew, and though the country desperately needed it, she couldn't help but wish that the clouds would melt away. The biggest shock came when night fell. All day, the clouds had been dark, lumpy, and patchy, like angry pillows floating erratically above her head. But at night, something happened in the air that Daine didn't see. Unbeknownst to her, the clouds smoothed and stretched out over the entire sky, an impenetrable wall of cloud that looked just like the starless bits of the night sky. It wasn't until Daine ran into Numair on her way back to her room that she noticed it. They were both walking back into the main corridors very late, Daine because she had been visiting with the Emperor's birds, and Numair because – _he was with Varice_, interjected a much more scathing, contemptuous part of Daine's mind. She didn't even know why that thought vexed her so much. He was a grown man; he saw women. It was as simple as that. Perhaps it was only because Varice was such a _stupid_ woman. Regardless, Daine was glad to see her teacher. When their eyes met, they both smiled and, out of a long-developed habit, glanced up at the sky. Daine let out a hasty gasp. "Where did the stars go?"

"They are behind the clouds, magelet. They'll be back tomorrow eve."

"Oh. Right. Of course." Daine realized belatedly that the clouds had turned into a silky, shielding sheet over the typically starry sky. Numair laughed a little and clapped her on the shoulder as they began to walk back into the castle.

"I think someone is in desperate need of sleep," he said kindly.

"You or me?" asked Daine shrewdly.

Unfazed, Numair answered, "You, my dear. Rest is what you need. Perhaps then, you'll remember that clouds can be present at night as well as in the daytime."

"Oh, be quiet," grumbled Daine, miffed. "I was only thinking aloud."

"That is what worries me."

Daine's mouth fell open, but as she looked at his face in the dim, lantern-lit corridor, she saw that he was only teasing. At her door, where the walls were gilded and painted with a vast assortment of shiny, fancy palace colors, Numair looked both ways along the hallway before opening her door and bowing her regally into the room. He stayed outside when she crossed the threshold. "Good night, Daine," he said. "The stars will come back. I promise."

"Very funny." Daine paused for a second, scratched her nose, rested her head on the golden doorframe, and yawned. "Are you… still looking?"

"Still looking."

There was time for a nod and chaste kiss on the cheek before Numair departed. Daine stuck her head out of the doorway to watch him go. He was definitely heading in the direction of his own rooms, not Varice's. Feeling slightly mollified, Daine readied herself for bed and slept very soundly in the high-class comforts, though she did miss the breezes and animals of a simple forest. She didn't notice when a patch of clouds cleared, like claws slicing through the sky, and allowed tiny pinpricks of starlight to shimmer in through her window, casting what looked like white, speckled shadows on her floor. But they soon vanished, consumed again by the effervescent clouds. The clouds didn't clear completely until late the next morning. But sure enough, the next evening, the stars were back. Just as Numair had said.


	2. II

**A/N:** And here is the last part. A bit shorter than Chapter I. Thank you to everyone who reviewed the first section, and I hope you enjoy the rest! Keep reading and reviewing!

* * *

Everything looked strange in the Divine Realms. The trees, the animals, the rivers and ponds – all of it appeared so much more _alive_. Each speck of color somehow seemed vivacious and bright, as if they had all been peeled off of a life-size painting, the kind that had flecks of gems and precious metals in the paint so it flickered and glowed. But when night fell and Daine turned her head upwards, she had a little shock – even the stars looked different, if they even _were_ stars at all. For one thing, each and every one was far, far brighter. Brilliance surrounded them so much so that Daine could almost believe that they were all miniature suns for miniature, distant worlds. But extraordinarily, not only were they dazzling, they were also startlingly, incredibly colorful, an array of hues worthy of a rainbow's praise. Daine saw deep blues, fiery reds, sunny yellows, and even pale greens. The night sky looked like the spattered, pastel pallet of the artist who had painted the realms, or perhaps the dark stone floor where he had spilled all his shiny shades. Numair gazed at them with her one night, just as spellbound as she was. His eyes were alight with the joy of discovery and knowledge. Daine was sure that her teacher could spend years here, and yet his mind would never thirst for new things to learn. It was with him by her side that Daine remembered the ever-present promise, now feeling so much more in reach, what with being, in her mind, so much closer to the stars.

"Still looking?" asked Daine, lying on her back beside Numair.

"Still looking. What color would you prefer?"

"Blue, if you can manage it."

"Blue it is, then. A young star. It will be yours, Daine."

Every night after that, Daine took at least one fleeting second to gaze at the striking stars. Once, when Numair wasn't watching, she stood on her tiptoes and stretched her fingers up as far as they would go, fanning them in to the night sky, straight and tall. More than ever before, Daine felt fettered to the ground at her feet, when not even an eagle's wings could take her as high as she wanted to go. Because despite their size, colors, and sparkles, the stars remained as peculiarly distant as ever.

* * *

A careful knock sounded on Daine's door in the dead of night. It was more like a series of taps, really. But it still woke her up. Blearily she stumbled out of bed, shooed away all the dozing animals, and went to answer it, rubbing her eyes as she did so. "Numair?" she asked, blinking. "Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me. I'm sorry that I woke you. But I found something that you must see."

"This had better be good," muttered Daine, but she took his arm regardless, leaning close to him as they headed out into an expansive field. Numair wrapped his cloak around her so that she stayed nearer to his body. It kept her warm in the nippy breeze. After a while, they came to a stop, and to Daine's great disappointment, Numair moved away from her.

"Close your eyes," he said stilly. Daine did. She felt the familiar tingle of his magic pouring into the air – it reminded her of the good kind of shivers, the ones she got whenever something tickled her or made her happy. "Open," said Numair. Daine could feel the heat of him standing very close by. Slowly, Daine obeyed him again, gazing at the spot right in front her. In Numair's cupped hands was something small, pale, and sparkling. It was as bright as a lantern and a deep azure color, illuminating their faces with a fresh glow. It looked like a stone, or a gemstone, but there was something about it that was so different and so much more exotic. Each smoothed edge pointed in a different direction. It wasn't sharp, but as Daine, open-mouthed, lifted it into her palms, she noticed that it was astonishingly clean-cut, as cool as glass but with defined, curved edges. No side was the same size or shape as another. And throughout it all, the tiny thing twinkled from the inside, heatless and almost imperceptible. Every now and then, when Daine flipped it over, it would flash, leaving spots in her eyes if she stared at it for too long.

"It's your star," murmured Numair, layering his hands beneath hers. "Do you like it?"

Daine was lost for words. But Numair appeared to understand. With his magic, he created a clasp and fixed the star on to her necklace next to her badger claw. As soon as it dropped beneath her nightshirt, the bluish light faded, as if it could only glow in the true, natural dark of open nighttime. "Thank you, Numair. It's beautiful," Daine said breathlessly when she found her voice. Her heart felt as full as the sea. She reached up, touched his rough cheek, and kissed him, feeling his arms fall to her waist. It was slow and sensitive at first, his tongue barely brushing her lips - a sweet celebration of the moment and the long-promised, long-awaited gift. But soon, something clicked in Daine's mind. She wanted more than kind tenderness. Numair held her closely as they kissed, faster and more desperate with every passing second. Daine could almost feel the desire in him, through his hands on her hips and his strong but careful kisses and his body pressed close to hers. Winded, they broke apart for one wordless, timeless moment where they made a decision, crossed a line, and did not look back.

That night, Daine didn't even glance at the stars before she followed him inside. She didn't need to anymore. Her own personal star remained above her heart, always.

* * *

"How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Find my star," said Daine curiously as she curled her body next to his. Even though all they had were thin sheets covering them, she had never felt warmer in her entire life. Hot morning sunlight shot in through the window, filling the room with the pleasant air of serenity and idleness. Daine ran her fingertips over the cool, strangely cut sphere around her neck. Now it was next to an anti-pregnancy charm as well as her claw. "It isn't really a star, is it?"

"Perhaps it is. Perhaps it is not," Numair said innocently. "I speak only the truth. It is _your_ star. I thought it would match your eyes."

"You're a fool of a man sometimes," said Daine. Running her hand over his bare chest, Daine traced a path from his torso to his collar, his shoulders, his arms, and finally to his hands, sensing each line and muscle under his tanned skin. She lifted his large, weather-beaten hands and twined his fingers with hers. For all his being so fussy about his appearance, his hands were comfortingly worn and calloused. Numair gave her a relaxed, sleepy smile.

"Have you ever thought about the color of your magic?" Daine asked of a sudden, studying their locked fingers thoughtfully.

"Of course I've thought about it. When I was younger, my magic was dark gold."

"_Gold_? Magic can change colors?"

"Indeed. I worried, as I grew older and more learned, that my darkening magic meant that I had a darkening soul. Was I delving too deep into magic's mysteries, losing touch with my spirit? The manifestation of one's magic is meant to reflect their spirit, like Alanna's fierce, unique violet - just as she herself is fierce and unique."

Freeing one of his hands, Numair rubbed his forehead and shut his eyes tight. "Sometimes, I still do worry."

"_You_, worry? I've never heard of you doing something so mad as _that_ before."

"Thanks ever so much, Daine."

"Numair – there's no need to worry. Your magic isn't just black, you know."

"Perhaps you've been colorblind for the last five years, magelet. My Gift is indeed black."

"But it sparkles." Daine flipped over onto her back and set her head softly against his shoulder. Numair's deft fingers fluttered over her stomach, but he was staring at the ceiling, so Daine spoke again, determined to make him understand. "Your magic is like nighttime, Numair. All those little glitters. They are what gives us hope even in the dead of night – and that's _you_, those sparkles. Tortall's hope. _My_ hope."

Numair didn't respond. But after a moment, he lifted her into his arms, held her close, and kissed her, his hands soft on her hips and his lips sweet on her skin. His eyes sparkled just like his magic when they broke apart. Daine smiled apologetically, aware that she was resting most of her weight on his body; he was holding her up with just the strength in his arms. But Numair was grinning. Daine loved the feeling; the instinctual response to being bare in his arms, reaching the point of losing control, but not quite there yet. She could see it in Numair's eyes, too. "You always know what to say," Numair murmured with a devious, charming look in his eyes.

Daine arched her body down towards his, her mouth by his ear. Her many-charmed silver chain dangled below her neck. The star was the largest, and it brushed lightly against Numair's skin whenever Daine made the even slightest movement. She could feel Numair tense as she touched the places that she knew he was sensitive to, like the spot under his ear or the dip above his collarbone. "I learned it from you," she whispered shamelessly. Numair took her chin in his hands, turned her head, and caught her smiling lips in his, cutting off any further conversation. He held her tight, leaving Daine lost in the stars just as she had always imagined for so long.


End file.
